Adobe Premiere Pro tips and tricks?

Hey there,

So, if we happen to come into a little extra cash, my girlfriend and I are looking at putting together a new rig. Since she works in Adobe Premiere Pro, we’re trying to figure out what kind of specs we actually need to get things moving. Our current setup basically died a hero's death—luckily enough, she snagged a work computer for her job, so while we’re saving up, we’ll just patch this old thing up to keep us afloat. But yeah, before we drop any money, we're doing our homework.

Basically, we're looking at a CPU, motherboard, RAM, and maybe a GPU too.
We've got an M-Audio interface, an Apple T260HD monitor that does the trick, and we just picked up some new DVD and Blu-ray drives last month. For power, we're running a Corsair TX650, and the graphics card is an EVGA NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti.
What kind of processor, motherboard, and RAM should we be eyeing? And honestly, do we even need to bother swapping out the GPU?
Gaming isn't even on the radar here—not a single game gets played on this machine—so that’s definitely not something we need to factor into the budget. This is strictly a workstation for Adobe Premiere Pro and photo editing. Just pure work stuff.

Here’s what I was thinking:

CPU

Motherboard

RAM

Also, I'm a bit lost on the whole socket situation—what's the deal with the difference between a 2011 socket versus something like 1155 or 1150? Which one gives better performance, and more importantly, which one is better for future-proofing? I don't want to end up in a dead-end situation like the old 775 where everything becomes obsolete overnight if a part fails.

Anyway, thanks a ton for the help, and sorry for the long-winded post.

Brian Campbell6 said:Hey

My girlfriend and I are looking at building a new PC once we have some extra cash. Since she works in Adobe Premiere, we want to know what kind of specs we should actually be aiming for. Our current rig is basically breathing a sigh of relief because she just got a work computer for her job, so until we save up, we'll just patch this one up. But before we drop the money, we're doing our homework.

We need a CPU, motherboard, RAM, and maybe a GPU.
We've got an M-Audio sound card, a Samsung Dell UltraSharp monitor that does the job, brand new DVD and Blu-ray burners from last month, a Corsair TX650 power supply, and a Sapphire ATI HD5670 graphics card.
We're wondering which processor, motherboard, and RAM to pick, and if the GPU needs an upgrade too.
Gaming isn't even a factor here—not a single thing. This machine is strictly for Video-Audio Editing and photo processing. It's a tool for work.

Here's my plan:

CPU
http://www.links.com/processor-item-link

Motherboard
http://www.links.com/motherboard-item-link

RAM
http://www.links.com/ram-item-link

Also, what's the deal with the difference between Socket 2011 versus something like 1155 or 1150? Which one offers better performance and better upgrade paths if a part dies, so we aren't stuck with an obsolete platform like 775?

Thanks for the help, and sorry for the long post.

That's overkill. You could go much cheaper with a Haswell platform, or even AM3+.
Are you paying cash or using a card?

If you're paying cash, you can probably find it cheaper elsewhere. Best Buy is usually way pricier than local shops.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:not really necessary—you can find much cheaper deals if you look for a Haswell platform, or even AM3+
are you paying cash or using a card?

if you're using cash, you could probably score an even better deal since Links is definitely charging a premium.

I mean, I'm not sure how we're even going to swing the cost, but honestly, there isn't much of a selection of shops here in Cleveland.

And since this rig is actually for work, I need it to hold its own when it comes to rendering Full HD video, music production, or slapping audio and video together—you know, all that heavy lifting.

Brian Campbell6 said:Plus, since this PC is for work, performance matters—especially when you're rendering Full HD video, editing music, or syncing audio and video.

Just order the parts from Washington, D.C. and build it yourself. It’s not rocket science.🙂

Brian Campbell6 said:Hi there!

So—if we happen to come into a little extra cash, my girlfriend and I are looking at putting together a new PC. Since her career revolves around Adobe Premiere work, we’re trying to figure out what kind of configuration actually makes sense for her needs. We actually had a bit of a lucky break recently because she was issued a workstation for her job—which was a huge relief!—but until we have the funds for our own setup, we'll be fixing up this old machine. Regardless, before we pull the trigger on anything new, we want to do our homework and gather as much info as possible.

What we're really looking at is the CPU, motherboard, RAM, and potentially a GPU.
We’re currently using an M-Audio sound card, and the monitor is a Samsung Dell UltraSharp, which does the trick just fine. Our DVD and Blu-ray burners were actually brand new as of last month, the power supply is a Corsair TX650, and the graphics card is a Sapphire ATI HD5670.
I'm wondering which processor, motherboard, and RAM combo would be best, and whether we even need to bother upgrading the GPU.
Just to be clear, gaming isn't even on the radar here—so that's definitely not a factor we need to consider. This machine is strictly for professional video and audio recording, editing, and photo processing. It's purely a tool for work.

My current thinking is

CPU

Motherboard

RAM

Also, I'm curious about the differences between Socket 2011 versus, say, 1155 or 1150. Which one offers better performance, and more importantly, which one gives us better upgrade paths if something fails? I'd love to avoid ending up like the 775 socket where you're basically stuck with a dead end.

Thanks so much for the help, and sorry for the long-winded post!

I agree—you could probably find a better deal elsewhere since Best Buy can be a bit pricey. You might be better off ordering parts from a major distributor in Washington, D.C. and assembling it yourselves; it's usually the most cost-effective way to go. Also, what kind of budget are we talking about here?

Since I don't know your specific budget, I'll just throw out what I think would be sufficient for the professional workload you described—and honestly, this should leave you enough left over to grab a decent graphics card too.

Intel Core i7 4770 Processor
Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 Motherboard (1150, iB85, D3, S3, U3, DVI, A)
Kingston DDR3 1600MHz, C11, 16GB (2x 8GB)
Gigabyte GeForce GTX760 OC Graphics Card, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, DP

$6,017.96 via local retailer

The 2011 era only really makes sense if you're jumping straight to a 6-core processor—honestly, grabbing a quad-core back then just isn't worth it when you compare it to Haswell. If you aren't planning on overclocking everything to the limit, just go with the Intel Core i7 4770. As for upgrading, sure, Broadwell processors will use the same Socket 2011 as Haswell, but I highly doubt your current motherboards will actually be compatible. You might even find yourself needing to swap out the power supply along with the board, so this "upgrade" could end up being a massive money pit. On the bright side, Socket 2011 isn't going anywhere—Intel has too many serious users relying on it to just abandon them. But let's be real: every platform becomes obsolete eventually, so I wouldn't lose any sleep over how long things stay relevant. What kind of software are you running?

Benjamin King2 said:If you’re looking at 2011, you might as well go for a 6-core—quad cores aren't really worth it when you consider what Haswell brings to the table. Honestly, if you aren't planning on overclocking, just grab an Intel Core i7 4770 and call it a day. Regarding upgrades... well, Broadwell chips will use the same Socket 2011 as Haswell, but I'd be careful. I highly doubt current motherboards will just work out of the box; you might even end up needing a new power supply along with the board. So, this "upgrade" could turn into a massive money pit pretty fast. On the bright side, Socket 2011 isn't going anywhere—Intel has too many hardcore users relying on it to just ditch it. But hey, let's be real, every platform eventually becomes obsolete, so I wouldn't lose sleep over how long it lasts. What kind of software are you running?

Ableton Live 9
East West
East West
East West
Adobe Premiere Pro CS 6
Adobe After Effects CS6
Adobe Photoshop CS 6
Corel Draw X6

If you're looking at GPUs, I’d suggest sticking with an Nvidia card, mostly because so many video editing programs rely on CUDA support to run smoothly. Since gaming isn't really part of the equation here, I guess an Nvidia GT 640 or maybe a GTX 650 would probably be more than enough for what you need.

There aren't enough CUDA cores and the bus width is just too narrow—honestly, you’d be better off dumping that cash into a beefier processor instead. If I were you, I'd aim for at least a GTX 650 or a 660 as a baseline. Also, Trendkill—keep in mind that having a CUDA-enabled card can seriously speed up your 3D rendering when you're working in Premiere or After Effects, so definitely factor that into your decision.

Benjamin King2 said:Not enough CUDA cores and the bus width is just too narrow—honestly, you’d probably be better off dumping that cash into a beefier processor instead. If I were you, I’d aim for at least a 650 Ti or a 660 as a baseline. Also, Trendkill, keep in mind that CUDA cards can seriously speed up your 3D rendering when you're working in Premiere or After Effects, so don't sleep on that.

Yeah, I really need to do some digging on all this since I'm pretty much flying blind here—I don't know the first thing about it.

Which online shop is the cheapest or just overall best here in the States? And is it even worth ordering from the US and dealing with shipping, customs, and taxes, or should I maybe look toward Europe??
That goes for warranties, pricing, and everything else, obviously.

Brian Campbell6 said:Uh, I really need to look into this—it’s all pretty new territory for me, and I honestly don't know much about any of it.

Which online store is the most affordable or just generally the best here in America? And is it actually worth ordering from the US and dealing with the shipping, customs, and taxes, or would it be smarter to stick to Europe??
I'm talking about everything—warranties, prices, and all that jazz.

Well, looking at the options here in the States, you have a few online shops where you can pay cash and just wait for components to hit the warehouse—which, by the way, can sometimes take up to a week—like Uzishop or Diskont24. As for ordering from the US... honestly, forget about it. Sure, the parts themselves might be cheaper, but when you do the math—summa summa—you end up paying basically the same amount, and in some cases, even more once you factor in the customs and taxes. Plus, there's the warranty issue; if you buy from the US and something breaks, you're stuck shipping it right back across the ocean. 🤣 Regarding Europe, I think the guys over there are the best—not necessarily because they're the cheapest, but because their selection is incredible. Their components can be slightly more affordable, though nothing crazy, but they definitely offer a much wider and better variety than what we see locally. There are two specific shops that seem pretty solid regarding price and they ship here quite easily—FunTech.si and Mlacom.si.

Timothy Fisher79 said:FunTech.si

M5A99X EVO R2.0 108e 😱

I'm placing an order for 😬

When exactly is Broadwell actually dropping? I’ve been scrolling through a few different sites and they're saying we might see some testing in the first quarter of this year, but full retail won't hit until late 2014. Is there any truth to that, or is it just noise? And honestly—is it even going to be a meaningful upgrade over the current Haswell 😬

If you grab an AMD FX 8350 black edition—honestly, that processor is a little beast and was basically built for video editing—and pair it with a CUDA-enabled NVIDIA graphics card, you'll be amazed. Throw in 8 GB of RAM and you’ll see just how smoothly video processing flies on a setup like that.

Larry Ortiz5 said:So, when is Broadwell actually dropping? I’ve been scrolling through various sites and they're claiming a Q1 release this year just for testing, then full retail wouldn't hit until late 2014. Is that legit? And honestly—let's be real here—it probably won't even be much better than what we have with current Haswell anyway. 😬

Plus, it all comes down to how fast motherboard manufacturers can actually roll out boards with the new chipsets—I mean, there’s zero point in trying to test anything if the motherboards aren't even on the shelves yet.

So, I guess we can expect something to pop up in a few months...

crimsonstag84 said:M5A99X EVO R2.0 108e 😱

I'm placing my order for 😬

🤣🤣🤣 It’s kind of ridiculous, isn't it? Just read what I actually wrote 🙄

Maybe focus on the value proposition... that board runs about $317 here, while at that shop it's $267, in other words the price is unbeatable.